Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). Despite its name, this animal is not closely related to true crabs, instead being closer to the spiders.

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Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). Despite its name, this animal is not closely related to true crabs, instead being closer to the spiders. It is a bottom-dwelling marine animal that inhabits the cool waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. It has remained essentially unchanged for the last 500 million years, and is considered to be a 'living fossil'. It is known for its mass spawning, in which thousands of horseshoe crabs mount the beaches of north-eastern North America to spawn and lay their eggs. Photographed in Delaware Bay, USA.

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Size: 3634px × 2422px
Photo credit: © PAUL WILLIAMS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 1, america, american, animal, animals, arthropod, arthropods, atlantic, bay, biological, bottom, crab, crustacea, crustacean, crustaceans, decapod, decapods, delaware, fauna, floor, horseshoe, invertebrate, invertebrates, limulus, nature, north, polyphemus, sand, sandy, seabed, single, states, united, usa, wildlife, zoological, zoology